The invention relates more particularly to a method for manufacturing assemblies, each of which comprises at least one multicore cable and a connector, which are also called assembled cables.
Assemblies of this type are notably used in the defence, aeronautical or medical equipment industry.
An assembly mainly consists of a set of components, including a connector that provides an interface with a complementary connector and a multicore cable enabling the transmission of signals and/or electric currents, for example for communication, data exchange and/or electric power supply.
A multicore cable may be an electric cable, comprising only electrical conductors (for example in the form of electrical wires), or else a so-called “hybrid” cable comprising at least one electrical conductor and at least one optical conductor (for example in the form of an optical fibre).
An associated or complementary connector may be an electrical connector for an electric multicore cable, or a hybrid connector for a hybrid multicore cable.
For a strong, reliable joint, an assembled cable also comprises other components, and notably a rear connector, which is screwed on the rear portion of the connector to which the various conductors of the multicore cable are connected.
This connector notably makes it possible to ensure electrical continuity between metallic peripheral braid shielding the multicore cable—also called “earthing”, and thus electrical continuity of earthing with another assembled cable or electrical and/or electronic equipment. Such an arrangement is known for example from document US-A-2005/193556.
The mechanical joint between the multicore cable and the connector—ensuring tensile strength of the joint between the multicore cable and the connector—may be provided by an external heat-shrinkable cap.
A heat-shrinkable cap of this kind can also guarantee hermeticity of the joint between the multicore cable and the connector in addition by making use of a kit for a two-component adhesive, to guarantee hermeticity of the heat-shrinkable cap, during production and execution of this joint.
For a whole range of applications, notably corresponding to the special environments mentioned above, the connectors used comply with the “MIL” or “MIL-SPEC” standards. We may mention, as non-limiting examples, the connectors belonging to the categories MIL-C-3899 series I&II and III&IV, MIL-C-26482, or MIL-C-5015.
Thus, for a given connector corresponding to a MIL standard, production of a connector-multicore cable basic assembly requires collecting together various compatible components or elements, then assembling them by carrying out a set of manual operations, none of which can be automated.
Selection of the components to be assembled is a complex operation, as too are the operations of assembly and manufacture.
Each assembly of this type is thus produced by selecting components from five catalogues corresponding to:
the connector (for which there are at least three manufacturers, four MIL categories, nine sizes, three coverings and two shapes);
the multicore cable, which is defined by the number and the diameter of the various conductors;
the joint, which must be compatible with the connector and with the multicore cable, depending notably on its outside diameter and the type of shielding braid;
the heat-shrinkable cap, which must be compatible with the connector and the multicore cable and for which there are at least two manufacturers, six categories, six sizes and eight different materials;
and finally the two-component adhesive, which must be compatible with the material of the outer sheath protecting the multicore cable, for which there are two different materials.
Besides this large number of possible combinations (more than twenty thousand combinations for four different connectors), it is very difficult, for the assembler and manufacturer of the assembled cable, to guarantee constant, accurate shape and dimensions, with the risk that this leads to defects of aesthetic and/or dimensional compliance.
The invention aims to propose a novel method of manufacture and a novel assembly, which overcome the main drawbacks that have just been mentioned.